Diagnostic imaging

Recent articles

Sunlit portrait photograph of Christine Wu Nordahl.

Christine Wu Nordahl, doing whatever it takes to get good data

The head of the Autism Phenome Project has deepened the pool of study participants and helped overhaul the culture of the MIND Institute.

By Laura Dattaro
23 November 2023 | 13 min read
A grid of four brain scans showing excess cerebrospinal fluid.

Is excess brain fluid an early marker of autism?

Brain scans of hundreds of infants suggest that up to 80 percent of those with autism have unusual amounts of cerebrospinal fluid. Researchers are studying how this might contribute to the condition.

By Giorgia Guglielmi
17 August 2023 | 10 min read
A cross-section of the human brain and limbic system

Amygdala-linked brain areas grow differently in autism

The growth differences vary between autistic boys and girls and are most apparent among children with prominent social difficulties.

By Charles Q. Choi
13 July 2022 | 5 min read
overlapping network of connections in the brain

The connectivity theory of autism, explained

A growing body of evidence suggests that autism involves atypical communication between brain regions, but how and where in the brain this plays out is unclear.

By Rachel Zamzow
1 May 2019 | 4 min read

Abridged autism assessment speeds access to therapy

A new strategy for diagnosing autism shortens the evaluation process — and the wait for answers.

By Jennifer Gerdts
5 June 2018 | 6 min read

Late-life diagnosis; narrated brain stimulation; microglia movie and more

Women describe relief at finally learning they have autism, a man with epilepsy narrates during stimulation of his brain, and the brain’s immune cells are caught on film nibbling at neuronal connections.

By Emily Willingham
30 March 2018 | 5 min read

Activists arrested; poop cult; ‘landmark’ movie and more

Activists are arrested while protesting the use of electroshock devices, a Facebook group claims cabbage slurry can prevent autism, and a movie features romance — and actors — on the spectrum.

By Emily Willingham
23 March 2018 | 5 min read

Program in Scotland boosts speed, accuracy of autism diagnosis

A project in Scotland dramatically increased the accuracy of autism diagnosis and cut waiting times in half.

By Anne O’Hare
20 February 2018 | 5 min read
Magnetoencephalography picks up the tiny magnetic fields produced by neuronal activity.

Powerful duo of techniques charts signals’ path through brain

Combining a brain imaging technique with a neuron stimulation method can reveal how activity at one site travels through neural networks in the brain.

By Bahar Gholipour
13 November 2017 | 3 min read
Structural anomalies (purple and blue) in the brains of babies with autism at 6 months (bottom row) become more widespread by 12 months (top row).

Weak ‘wiring’ in infant brains augurs severe autism features

Babies who are later diagnosed with autism may show aberrant connections between some brain regions in their first year of life.

By Nicholette Zeliadt
21 August 2017 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Colorful illustration of a latticework of proteins.

Cracking the code of the extracellular matrix

Despite evidence for a role in plasticity and other crucial functions, many neuroscientists still view these proteins as “brain goop.” The field needs technical advances and a shift in scientific thinking to move beyond this outdated perspective.

By Anna Victoria Molofsky
17 January 2025 | 5 min read
A repeated DNA strand extends farther from the left side of the image with each iteration.

Huntington’s disease gene variants past a certain size poison select cells

The findings—providing “the next step in the whole pathway”—help explain the disease’s late onset and offer hope that it has an extended therapeutic window.

By Angie Voyles Askham
16 January 2025 | 6 min read
Research image highlighting different brain regions.

X marks the spot in search for autism variants

Genetic variants on the X chromosome, including those in the gene DDX53, contribute to autism’s gender imbalance, two new studies suggest.

By Holly Barker
16 January 2025 | 6 min read